Describe the brief/objective of the direct campaign.
We were only after new customers. But not everyone’s after a new garden, so a blanket door drop of Sydney’s Eastern suburbs would have been an ineffective way to find them. Which is why we only targeted homes with overgrown yards. We also only went after larger properties in more affluent areas, so that the fish we caught were bigger and yielded a higher return.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective with reference to the projected response rates and desired outcome.
Yes, flowers smell nice. But everyone knows that. We needed to make home owners see their gardens in a new light.

Our solution? Show them how a manicured garden was like an extra room to their home. Then, not only is it something they’d look forward to coming home to, but it would also add value to their property.

From that insight, the Gate Mat execution was born. And we knew if we picked our targets correctly, we’d get interest from 1 in 10, and hopefully several of them would convert into crucial jobs for the small business.

Explain why the creative execution was relevant to the product or service.
A DM Welcome Mat is nothing new. But using it how we did was.

By repositioning this common symbol of a front door, we showed how landscaping extends your home. And we brought a smile to people’s faces in the process.

But more than that, our approach differentiated us from competitors by positioning our services as a way to improve your home, not just your garden.

And as a quality Welcome Mat owners could keep and use, the DM piece ensured Stepping Stone Creations remained in the front of people’s minds. Or at least the front of their homes.

Describe the results in as much detail as possible with particular reference to the RESPONSE of the target audience including deliverability statistics, response rates, click throughs, sales cost per response, relationships built and overall return on investment.
Date first appeared: 28 October 2010

Number of pieces: 100 with our name, number and website attached to the mat